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On January 1, 2024, a four-part drama series called Mr. Bates vs The Post Office was aired on ITV. The series features the events that occurred in the Horizon IT controversy over the period of 16 years (1999-2015) and has brought forward a collective rage at the injustice of the system among netizens.
The series covers the unfortunate consequences that these employees had to face for about two decades until the Post Office finally agreed to compensate for the damage it had done in 2019.
The premier of the drama series has encouraged more victims of the scandal to come forward and demand justice. It has also pushed the Met police to renew their effort into investigating potential fraud offenses.
From Horizon's introduction in 1999 to the final settlement of 2019: The Timeline of the Post Office Scandal Explored
The scandal started in 1999 when the PO introduced Horizon, a software designed by Fujitsu for accounting, transactions, and stock-taking. The roots of the scandal lie in the malfunctioning of the software for which over 700 sub-postmasters and sub-postmistresses lost their jobs and were wrongfully prosecuted.
The Post Office (PO) scandal has affected not only the employees who lost their jobs but also scarred their families and ruined their chance at a normal, happy life. BBC calls it the “most widespread miscarriage of justice in the UK’s history.”
Here’s the timeline of all the events that have led to the creation of the drama series.
1999: Horizon is introduced in the Post Office
Horizon, a new computer system, was introduced by the PO. Within a year, the Horizon terminals were installed in 18,000 branches.
2000: The Post Office employees are trained to operate Horizon
Over 63,000 employees were trained to operate Horizon. Alan Bates, a sub-postmaster from North Wales, was the first among the few employees to report issues with the software.
2003: Noel Thomas becomes the first victim of Horizon's error
Noel Thomas, a sub-postmaster from Anglesey, noticed and reported a missing funds report of £6,000 to the PO. Despite working for the company for 42 years, his report was mistrusted, leading to his own arrest and conviction for the missing funds.
2004: Bates reaches out to Computer Weekly
With no response from the PO about his complaint, Bates reached out to the Computer Weekly magazine. Based on Bates’ account of events, the magazine started gathering evidence to publish a story on Horizon.
2005: Jo Hamilton pleads guilty to avoid prison
Noel Thomas, the convicted employee, was convicted of false accounting and owed the company £50,000.
Jo Hamilton, another sub-postmaster from Hampshire, was also accused of false accounting. Despite being innocent, Hamilton pleaded guilty to avoid going to prison.
2009: The JFSA is formed
In light of all the ongoing trials, Alan Bates decided to form a campaign group – JFSA (Justice For Sub-postmasters Alliance). The goal of JFSA was to expose the failures of Horizon and the then-managing director of the Post Office, Paula Vennells.
2010 - 2011: Horizon's error creates more victims
In 2010, Seema Misra, a PO operator in Surrey, was convicted of stealing £74,000 and sent to prison for the same. Misra was pregnant with her second child at the time.
In 2011, Vipinchandra Patel, a sub-postmaster from Oxfordshire, was accused of stealing £75,000 from the PO. Despite pleading guilty to fraud, Patel was handed an 18-week-imprisonment sentence.
In the same year, William Graham, a manager from Sevenoaks, was convicted of false accounting and handed a 32-week suspended prison sentence.
2012: The introduction of the Initial Complaint Review and Mediation Scheme
The PO created the Initial Complaint Review and Mediation Scheme, for which over 150 sub-postmasters – both current and former – signed up.
In the same year, Second Sight, an investigative firm, initiated an independent inquiry into Horizon. The firm also used the testimonies of employees who signed up for the scheme to start an investigation of their own.
2013: First admission of defect from the Post Office
The PO finally admitted to the defects in Horizon but insisted it had been fixed.
In the same year, Martin Griffith, a former employee who was accused of stealing £60,000 from the company, ended up taking his own life. According to the Evening Standard, Griffith's wife, Gina, was pressured to sign a gagging clause of £120,000 with the PO after her husband's death.
Second Sight also issued its first report in 2013, which was published in Computer Weekly and made it evident that there were serious problems in the PO.
2014: Horizon declared "not fit for purpose"
While some branches started describing Horizon as “not fit for purpose,” the PO’s statement remained the same. In their view, there was absolutely no evidence of any systemic issues with it.
2015: The termination of the Initial Complaint Review and Mediation Scheme
The Post Office terminated the Initial Complaint Review and Mediation Scheme created three years ago without any former notice. It also published a report that claimed the company was free of any wrongdoing.
They also ordered Second Sight to terminate their investigation and destroy all paperwork that hadn’t been handed over.
In the same year, Computerworld UK, a UK trade magazine, reported that the PO obstructed the investigation by allegedly refusing to hand over the keys to Second Sight. All claims made in the report were, again, denied by the company.
2017: First legal action taken against the Post Office
About 500 members of the JFSA – all former employees at the Post Office – brought down a group litigation action on the same, taking matters into court.
2018: Second Sight's report gets published
The second investigation that Second Sight conducted on Horizon was completed and the report was published. The report claimed that Horizon experienced more than 12,000 communication failures annually.
2019: The Post Office settles claims by paying for damages
After a series of long-running civil cases, the PO agreed to settle the claims of 555 claimants and pay £57.75 million for the damages.
Who is held accountable for the Post Office Scandal?
As of today, nobody from the Post Office or Fujitsu has been held responsible for all the wrongful accusations placed upon the former employees and the dire consequences they suffered.
According to the BBC, a spokesperson of the PO stated that they're doing all they can to right the wrongs of the past. They stated:
"Both Post Office and Government are committed to providing full, fair, and final compensation for the people affected."
The recent premiere of Mr. Bates vs The Post Office has re-ignited the thirst for justice among the victims and the spectators alike. Whether or not it will lead to justice being served for Alan Bates, his wife, and the families of the other employees remains to be seen.
